1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic imaging sensors, such as charge coupled devices (CCDs), that are segmented into plural segments with a respective one of plural output pipelines for each segment. In particular, the invention pertains to duplicating image data for an overlap region that includes the discontinuity between individual segments of the sensors, with the duplicated data being provided to each of the output pipelines for segments that border the overlap region.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent advances in manufacturing processes for electronic imaging sensors such as CCDs have resulted in electronic imaging sensors having many millions of pixels arranged in a two-dimensional array. Because of the large number of pixels, however, there has been an undesirable increase in the processing time needed merely to shift the data from the electronic imaging sensor.
Several proposals have been considered to address the increase in shift out time. According to one such proposal, the electronic imaging sensor is segmented into plural different disjoint areas, such as being divided into left and right halves. Each segment of the electronic imaging sensor is provided with its own output pipeline. As a consequence of this arrangement, it is possible to reduce the shift out time in proportion to the number of segments. For example, when an electronic imaging sensor is divided into mutually disjoint left and right halves, it is possible to reduce the shift out time by a factor of two.
One problem encountered in use of a segmented electronic imaging sensor is the discontinuity in image data formed at boundaries between each of the segments. If data shifted from each segment is immediately re-combined prior to any processing, the effects of such discontinuities can be minimized since image data for the entire image is available to the processor. However, it is becoming increasingly commonplace to provide a separate processor for each output pipeline. These processors work independently of each other, on the segment of electronic imaging sensor data corresponding to its output pipeline. Thus, when an image is formed from the re-combined image data processed individually by each processor, discontinuities at the sensor segment are readily apparent.